Cake Slid In Car Again!!

I would never allow anyone to drive my cake to the destination. If I did and something happened to it, I would not feel responsible. I like to know that my cake gets where its going and is set up the way it should be. I take a pic and walk away. That way if something does happen in transport, I know I am responsible. BTW, I use wooden dowels but am going to switch to bubble tea straws!

I like in the UK and I was told bya another UK cc'er that our cake boards are different to yours. Your ones are softer which makes it possible for you do put a centre dowel in. I don't think its possible on our boards. Also, I have been looking at the SPS system and I always find the websites very confusing. It doesn't give clear instructions on HOW to assemble. Also, can you cut the rods to the height you want? If you can't, how do you deal with a cake which is off different height? Does anyone know any videos that show how to assemble?

I wish I knew how to post the link to another forum thread! Search for leahs and her posts. She explains very clearly how to use SPS. I agree that the website isn't very helpful, but leahs is. The best answer to your question is that you can, theoretically, cut the posts to the length you want, but it is difficult, requires a saw, and can result in uneven posts if you don't cut them perfectly. Leahs' solution is to make the cake exactly the right height (4 inches in most cases) which is pretty easy to do by adjusting the filling and cake layers. The posts also come in different heights, so you can make taller layers or separate them, revealing the posts, if you like.

I didn't realize that. In the US, I think most of us use pans that are 2 inches deep. With baking two layers, after the cake is levelled, torted, and filled, it's pretty close to 4 inches. Leahs specifically cuts her layers to the correct height so that the finished tier is exactly 4 inches. I think the SPS has 2-inch extenders? With a 4-inch and a 2-inch you would be right for a double layer at 6 inches. Would that work?

I don't think for one minute it was you or your technique - it was "them". Most of the cakes I do are 10 inch with a 6 inch on top and torted. I have never had my cakes slide or fall apart. I put duct tape between the cake board/cardboard layer and my base. I place BC or melted chocolate in the middle of the cakeboard before I place the 10 inch layer. I use bubble tea straws for support. I slather BC or melt chocolate on top of the 10 inch layer before I place the 6 incher. And then I drive a wooden dowel through the whole thing.

When transporting I place the cake in a large sturdy cardboard box with some of that rubbery shelf liner under the cake in the box and then another piece under the box in the back of my van. I have driven two of my cakes for 2 hours to their destinations (one in summer and one in winter) and neither moved or cracked. Most of my cakes are driven 30 minutes, hauled into my work place from the parking lot and moved around before they are finally cut.

Two of the cakes I took to work were then taken home by the receipents to show their families and one brought the whole thing back to work again to cut and eat at work. The other one was taken home and then taken to her parents house and then taken back home again and it never moved!!!

I truly think it is "them" and their rough handling and don't care attitude. It's a cake and meant to be handled carefully and not a sack of potatoes to be thrown around.

I only ever had one cake fall/partially collapse. It was a 3-tier wedding cake, torted and filled. It was supported with wooden dowels, there was a long wooden dowel through the middle and into the board, the reception distance was very short, and I did drive like I had a baby velcro'd to the roof . I used plenty of dowels, but the cake was very dense, and the 3 layers of filling made it super-heavy. I think its weight just pulled those skinny wooden dowels to the side when I turned in the car.

Since then I use the Wilton hollow plastic dowels or SPS, which is outstanding as long as you can get your cakes exactly 4" tall. For a heavy cake, my personal opinion is that you need support with more diameter and stability than the standard wooden dowel.

I'm going to have to go with this one being the recipients fault. I know others have talked about chilling and transported cold... and you can do that as long as you are driving the cake. What were the conditions of the car that picked up the cake?

It's winter... did the have the heater BLASTING in the car? My wife sets the heater to 86° F in our Tahoe. That is pretty hot on a cake.

What kind of car was it? A Mercedes or a GMC pickup? I'm just saying... different cars have different suspension.

And then beyond that, you don't know if the driver is a stop & go maniac, if they wait until the last minute to break and break hard, if they gun it on the take off... heck for all you know the cake was perfect until they came running up into the driveway. They could have needed to climb a big hill going up to their house. 86° F heat and a 60° inclining hill would be BAD on a cake, you know it.

So I guess you get my point, a cake failing to make it's destination when you are not delivering it personally has to matter other factors to weigh on in. I guess in the future just warn the customer that if they choose to pickup r trasnport the cake themselves, there are no guarantees because you cannot oversee the driving of it.

I wish I knew how to post the link to another forum thread! Search for leahs and her posts. She explains very clearly how to use SPS. I agree that the website isn't very helpful, but leahs is. The best answer to your question is that you can, theoretically, cut the posts to the length you want, but it is difficult, requires a saw, and can result in uneven posts if you don't cut them perfectly. Leahs' solution is to make the cake exactly the right height (4 inches in most cases) which is pretty easy to do by adjusting the filling and cake layers. The posts also come in different heights, so you can make taller layers or separate them, revealing the posts, if you like.

Perfect time to extoll the virtues of Google. Go to Google, type in "SPS instructions Cake Central". Bam. It directs you right where you need to go.

I only ever had one cake fall/partially collapse. It was a 3-tier wedding cake, torted and filled. It was supported with wooden dowels, there was a long wooden dowel through the middle and into the board, the reception distance was very short, and I did drive like I had a baby velcro'd to the roof . I used plenty of dowels, but the cake was very dense, and the 3 layers of filling made it super-heavy. I think its weight just pulled those skinny wooden dowels to the side when I turned in the car.

Since then I use the Wilton hollow plastic dowels or SPS, which is outstanding as long as you can get your cakes exactly 4" tall. For a heavy cake, my personal opinion is that you need support with more diameter and stability than the standard wooden dowel.

Well said, Kelleym!!! That's the very reason we don't use wooden dowels.

Circles are the strongest geometric shape and columns are probably the most effective building element. Thicker columns are more stable than narrow columns. When columns fail, it's usually because of instability...not cutting the dowel (column) correctly.

When wooden dowels (narrow columns) are inserted into a cake the displaced cake ends up being pushed to the side of the dowel and also a portion of cake ends up under the dowel...because the dowel is not sitting flat on the cake board you end up with a degree of instability. If you pull the dowel out of the cake to remove the cake stuck to the bottom of the dowel...you have now broken the "seal" and when you reinsert the dowel you'll have some "wiggle" room...again, a degree of instability.

Wilton plastic dowels or SPS are wider hollow columns. Wider columns (dowels) are more stable and because they are hollow, the displaced cake has a place to go....making them a better option for cake doweling.

The Wilton plastic dowels are readily available and are easily cut with a pair of pvc cutters....They are more expensive than wooden dowels...add the extra expensive into the cost of the cake.

However you decide to fix them up to deliver/meet the people I'd open the boxes when I got there and show them that they survived YOUR driving and from then on it's up to them.

My SO recently drove the CC's I made for my dad's bday, all 120 of them, and told him to drive GINGERLY and carefully, I stressed and stressed the importance of cornering gently and stopping and starting quickly. When the boxes were opened (they were in cc carriers/box kind) 98% of them were totally OUT of their holders like they had been shook up. He SWORE he drove carefully and easily...so the next day when we had 4 boxes left I put them all in MY car and we drove them to my Dad's to share with family and guess what? When I opened the boxes not one of them was toppled. He said there were 2 toppled (out of 4 boxes) but I didn't see it so I think he was stretching the truth (lying)because he KNEW he had screwed up.

Don't beat yourself up, there was probably nothing short of cement that could have prevented it.No matter what you say some people just DON'T get it! My husband included! I no longer let him drive while delivering a cake. His idea of "careful" and my idea of "careful" are 2 different things!!! The biggest problem I find is not so much bumps but its the cornering. Especially the on/off ramps for the highway - not good for cakes!